Beauty in Darkness
by TweedleDee29
Summary: This is an AU fic. Manny wants two new Guardians, not one. Who is the mysterious girl Manny shows them? Why have the other immortals never heard of her? And can she fix a huge misunderstanding, before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1: The Guardians and the Girl

**A/N: Hey there, this is my first fanfiction, so please go easy! I do appreciate constructive criticism though, so please feel free to mention any errors in spelling or grammar. Thanks!**

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Guardian's POV:

"See? I told you, it's Pitch!" North said excitedly, as the Man in the Moon showed them who their enemy was.

"Quiet! He's showing us something else!" Tooth replied as a giant crystal appeared out of the ground.

"A new Guardian?" Bunny said unhappily. "Please don't let it be the groundhog, please not the groundhog."

Two images appeared in the light that Manny cast on the crystal.

"Jack Frost? That's even worse!" Bunny growled.

"Yes, but who is the other one, the girl?" North asked.

The girl was around the same age as the frost spirit, and had long, straight, dark-brown hair, with eyes of a pretty looking light orange hue.

Manny saw their confusion and showed them the girl's name. Era Imaji. It was all the information he could give them, for if they knew her whole story, they would never accept her.

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No Particular POV:

"They're so pretty papa!" the little girl said to the Boogeyman, her black hair bouncing, and her excited color-changing eyes gleaming.

"I knew they would appeal to your sense of creativity." The man replied as the girl set off to gather materials to create yet another masterpiece. When given inspiration and random materials, the girl could create just about anything.

Rushing back into the room with arms full of materials of all kinds, in the specific colors of pink, green, and blue that the little fairies feathers were composed of, the girl asked, "How did you get so many of the Baby Teeth anyway? I hear Toothy doesn't lend them out to just anyone."

"Who told you that?" Pitch asked wondering which of the visitors that would occasionally venture into his lair had been speaking to her this time.

She set her cloths, paints, and stained glass tiles down with a perplexed look. "I don't think he gave his name, but his aura felt Fae, and he gave me this!" she exclaimed as she pulled out a small pouch.

Pitch stepped back quickly in surprise, knowing what was in the pouch, and asked, "Do you know what that is?"

"The man said it was the magic of his people, very rare, and since he's Fae, I assumed it's Faerie Dust." She replied with a smile.

"You assumed correctly," Pitch sighed, "Just remember to be very careful with it, and only use it if you are in danger."

"Yes papa." The girl replied as she began cutting, painting, and placing things how she wanted them.

Pitch left for his next task, knowing Er would be distracted for quite a while.

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**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Ones In the Darkness

**A/N: Welcome back! Just thought I would mention that my updates will probably come every few days, so that I can hopefully have several more parts typed out and many errors fixed before posting them. I should probably also mention that I do not own the movie Rise of the Guardians, or any of the characters associated with it.**

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Jack's POV:

I rushed toward the sound of a familiar voice calling my name. I had almost forgotten Baby Tooth was with me, trying to tell me that I needed to get back to the Warren.

Finally, I came to a bed covering a dark hole in the middle of the forest outside of Burgess, and despite Baby Tooth's warning, jumped down.

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NP POV:

Everything was going according to plan. The young girl was distracted, Jack was following the sound of his memories, a few of Pitch's nightmares were destroying the Easter Eggs, and a man hiding in deep shadows would be able to escape the blame.

Presently Jack came through the entrance to Pitch's lair, and began looking around. The perfect part was that Pitch knew the boy would come for his teeth at some point, as the golden-eyed spirit had indeed stolen the Baby Teeth on his own. The hidden man began the next phase of his plan.

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Er's POV:

I finished sooner than I had anticipated, and smiled. I decided to go find Pitch so I could show him what I had accomplished.

On my way to find my father, I passed the entrance, noticing that it was a little colder down here than usual. Turning a corner, I ran into a white-haired boy.

No… not boy, his aura was that of a sprite. He was a winter sprite.

We both gasped, and I said quickly, "I've never met a winter sprite before! What's your name?"

"I'm Jack Frost, are you Era Imaji?" he asked.

My face scrunched up in disgust before I replied, "I prefer Er."

"Weird," he said, pacing around me, "the Guardians said it looked like you were about my age…"

I looked down at my small, childlike frame, and then looked at Jack before snapping my fingers. _'If you can imagine it, you can make it happen,'_ as I always like to say.

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Jack's POV:

I watched Era transform in front of me, turning into what looked like a female version of me.

"Better?" she smirked.

"A little disorienting, actually," I replied.

She smiled and resumed the appearance of a small black-haired child, her eyes shifting to every color you could think of, and more.

"Would you like to come with me?" I asked.

"Where to?" she replied skeptically.

I pointed to the entrance and watched as it became clear from the look on her face that she would never even consider leaving this place. No wonder the guardians had never heard of her before.

Suddenly, Pitch appeared, and Era's face lit up as she ran to him, acting more childlike than she had the entire time we had been talking.

"Hello, Jack." He said.

I gripped my magic staff and said, "Hand over the girl, and I won't have to hurt you." Era looked insulted at this, but remained quiet.

Pitch laughed and brought one of his hands from behind his back, showing me he had the container that held my teeth, and my memories.

"Do you want them, Jack?"

"I'd rather have the girl." I seethed, not caring how angry Era looked, and most definitely not falling for his trick.

Pitch looked down at Era and smiled.

"Why don't we play a game?" Pitch asked still looking at the small girl, whose face immediately lit up in joy.

"Hide and seek!" she said energetically.

"If I lose, you take them both, the teeth and Er." Pitch said.

"And if I lose?"

"You take the teeth, and I keep her."

I worried it was all a setup, but agreed to it anyway.


	3. Chapter 3: The Game

**A/N: I thought I would give you guys a treat, because theBananaBug is awesome ^.^**

**Also, in response to The One Named Moonlight - She really wasn't meant to change forms so much, but Manny thought that the older, brown-haired form she sometimes takes would be the best example to give to the guardians, though she prefers her childlike form, as that's the form she woke up in. When she transformed into "what looked like a female version of [Jack]" she was just being a bit of a brat. :)**

**I'll let you guys read now.**

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Er's POV:

I don't know why. Perhaps it's because I'm the spirit of Creativity, not one of Adventure or Curiosity. I had honestly never been that interested in the world above Pitch's lair. It may also have been because he always kept me supplied with materials and inspiration, and I rarely questioned where he got anything.

Either way, I was here now, playing hide-and-seek, looking at all the beauty around me, a million ideas exploding across my mind. I giggled and turned around to find myself face-to-face with Natura.

"Oh, hello Mother Nature," I said with a slight curtsy. "Do you happen to know some good hiding places in this marvelous forest?"

She smiled, and I heard a whisper through the leaves say, "Only the best, dear Era." As she pointed a few places out to me.

I knew better than to argue the point of my name with any of the major spirits such as her, so I quickly thanked her and decided upon my first hiding place, which would be the beginning point for the newest masterpiece I would create.

I found a tree with giant leaves, large enough for Jack to hide under, but decided that would be the first place he would look, and moved to a different point of the forest and hid in a small cave. I grinned. Let the games begin.

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Jack's POV:

I flew around the forest, laughing. The excitement of the game pushed adrenaline through my frozen veins. I know every single blade of grass in this forest, and I believed I knew exactly where to find Era.

Rushing to find the trees with the giant leaves that even I could easily hide under, I started turning over all the leaves.

I frowned when I didn't find her there, and thought of the next place she would hide.

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Pitch's POV:

I didn't want to be left alone again. That's why I had never let Er go outside. She would probably forget about me like everyone else.

No. I shook my head, trying to rid myself of these doubts. Now was not the time.

"If I were you, my sneaky little snake, where would I hide?" I mumbled.

The first place she would go would probably be those trees with comically large leaves, but that's also the first place Jack would look… I looked to my left, saw a small pile of rocks, and snapped my fingers.

"A small cave!" I said before dashing into the shadows.

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Er's POV:

I had to resist the urge to laugh as Jack and Pitch raced toward the cave I was in. Their faces were hilarious!

I had been teleporting everywhere, so at some point it became a game where they had to catch me, rather than just see me.

Seeing that Jack would definitely catch me first, I smiled, waved, and teleported to a patch of bushes in the middle of the forest, and awaited the next move there.

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Jack's POV:

Era smiled, and I cursed myself internally. She disappeared again. We had been playing this game all day, and I was dripping with sweat. I had begun to realize her pattern a long time ago, and knew that since we were back at the cave where we first found her, she would be hiding at the center of her creation. She had led us on a wild goose chase, all in the name of creating a giant snowflake pattern that no one else would ever see.

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**Aw, depressed-sounding Jack :( Hope you enjoyed! As always, please review, and have a wonderful day!**

***runs off to type more of her story***


	4. Chapter 4: His Memories

**A/N: Hello again faithful readers! As you can see, I have a new chapter for you. But first...**

**Thank you HappyKongFuBunny! *pats you on the head* Here, have this virtual cupcake :D**

**And to The One Named MoonLight: At first, I wasn't sure if she would come back at all, but after some consideration on how the story will go, we may yet see her again! I also haven't read the books, so she hasn't got much to do with Pitch (is that something from the books? It kind of seems like it in some of the fics I've read...), and she's quite different than the way most people depict her.**

**Finally, *** _this *_** is memories.**

**Now onto the story!**

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NP POV:

Jack would reach Er first, of course, but even though she'd had her fun, she wanted to pull one last prank on Jack. So, just as Jack was about to reach her, she ran out of the bushes giggling, and the suspicious and confused look on his face was absolutely perfect. She teleported to a spot right behind Jack, and was picked up by Pitch, who had as much surprise on his face as Jack did.

"Aw, come on! That's favoritism, that's cheating!" Jack pouted, "But rules are rules, and I'll take the teeth and leave honorably."

Er smiled and handed Jack the teeth, knowing that despite what he thought, they would be seeing each other again soon.

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Er's POV:

He was nice, and fun. My cheeks flushed a light shade of pink as I attempted to determine my feelings for Jack Frost.

"Papa," I said as we walked along with me swinging our hands together, "is it alright if I come up above the surface more often?"

I looked up to see that his face looked pained, but he noticed me looking and smiled down at me. "Of course you can, dear. I just don't want you to stay out too late."

I tried to discern what he feared from me coming to the surface, but nothing I could think of seemed quite like something he would worry about. He certainly wouldn't worry about my safety, especially if I had the Faerie Dust. Would he be lonely? No, not likely, especially if I came back to check in with him every once in a while.

It continued to worry me as we made our way back to the dark caves that we lived in, but I said nothing about the look Pitch had on his face.

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Pitch's POV:

I knew the question had been coming. It was bound to happen now that she had seen the beauty of the world she had ignored before.

It had been seventeen years since I had first seen Era, and as we continued on our way, I reminisced about the past…

* _The first time I had seen the young girl, she was fifteen, had blonde hair and green eyes, and was drawing a huge picture on the ground in chalk. She couldn't see me of course, but I found her intriguing, and couldn't seem to walk away. I watched as she created a large picture of the Guardians, "The Big Four" as I liked to call them. She was surprisingly adept at what she was doing, and smiled as she finished drawing the Tooth Fairy._

_I had enough time to notice that the pictures she had drawn looked alarmingly like the actual entities themselves, before she turned around and ran straight into me, as I had leaned in closer to see what she had been doing._

_"Oh hello," she said as she grinned at me, "What's your name? Are you one of the people everyone keeps telling me are just in my imagination? I could draw you too, if you like."_

_I was too stunned to speak. She could see me? She knew I was here, and ran into me, rather than walking through me?_

_"Do you not talk? Are you like Sandy then?" she inquired as I tried to find my voice._

_"You ask a lot of questions," was the best I could manage at that moment._

_"Oh, I see, I guess I must have surprised you. Sorry, I thought the other Guardians would have told you by now. The Sandman was surprised at first as well, but then he told the other three, and I assumed there would probably be more, but I haven't seen anyone else so…"_

_I cut her off by putting a hand up to stop her._

_"My name is Pitch Black, the King of Nightmares. I'm not a Guardian, in fact, they despise me. If you feel like drawing me, you may. But I have one question of my own, being able to see the Guardians is fairly normal, but how can you see me? Nobody can see me…"_

_She gave me a sad look and said, "That must be terrible, being rejected and unseen." She then proceeded to move to a different section of sidewalk to draw a picture of me before continuing, "I guess that I can see you because I try to keep an open mind. If I don't then I can't really find the inspiration I want for my artwork." When I silently walked to where she was crouched and looked over her shoulder, I saw that she had drawn herself, with her blonde hair and green eyes, holding my hand. In the picture, we were both smiling. *_

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**Hope you liked! Please review. You shall receive virtual treats, as well as answers to questions, and replies to comments. Have a nice day! :)**

**Extra: Do you guys think I should write another story? One that mainly focuses on one POV, rather than many? If so, what movie, game, etc. should I do it on? I was thinking of doing an Alice in Wonderland AU, where Alice has two personalities... Please let me know what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5: Snow Days and Sad Memories

**A/N: I'm back! Today, everyone receives free virtual chocolate cheesecake!**

**Thank you Bunny, The One Named MoonLight, and my sissy-ma-bob, TwixyReitz.**

**Onward, to the story! (sorry if I sound ridiculous, it's about 10:30 pm, and I should probably be sleeping)**

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Jack's POV:

"We never should have trusted him!" Bunny shouted, as I knew he would.

"Let me explain!" I shouted, before anyone else could accuse me of betraying them, "I found Era."

Bunny looked at me in shock and settled down a little with a 'calm down' gesture from North.

"Where is she? None of the immortals we spoke to knew where she was let alone _who_ she was. How did you find her?" Tooth asked.

"Don't get mad," I said as I brought out the container with my teeth in it. "But I was following the voice I heard from my memories, and it led me to Pitch's lair. We ran into each other there, literally."

"So you mean to tell me that this girl, who nobody has heard of, is in cahoots with Pitch? And Manny wants her to be a Guardian?" Bunny growled.

"She doesn't work with Pitch, necessarily. It seems more like she's there to keep him company, so he doesn't get lonely." I replied.

"How long has she been there, do you know?" North asked.

"We didn't really get much of a chance to talk, because we were playing – oomph!" I was cut off as something large ran into my back.

"Papa said I could play!" I heard Era's voice coming from on top of me as I lay on the ground catching my breath.

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Er's POV:

Pitch had said I could go out and play for a while, so I promptly flew off to find Jack. When I found him, we collided for the second time in as many days.

"Is this the girl?" I heard a voice with a Russian accent ask.

I scowled as I stood up off of Jack, and answered, "If you mean, is this Era Imaji, then yes. But I take extreme offence to being called 'the girl' as I'm sure Jack noticed earlier."

In reply, Jack laughed nervously and said, "Are you still mad about that?"

I only glared at him before turning around and demanding, "Well? Why don't you introduce me to your friends? It would be very nice to know their names."

Jack stood up from the ground quickly, and said, "This is North, Bunny, Sandy, and Tooth" as he pointed each out in turn. "Guys, meet Era."

I coughed, "Er."

"Right." Jack smiled at me.

I smirked before changing into my older-looking form with brown hair and light orange eyes and asked, "What shall we play today?"

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North's POV:

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold on there, mate." Bunny said.

"Why should we trust you?" I asked skeptically.

"What do you mean?" Er replied with a pout.

"Pitch is our enemy, and you are a mystery spirit that no one has heard of who just so happens to live with him." I answered.

"Has he done something wrong?" she asked, looking confused.

"Something wrong? He took the Baby Teeth, and his nightmare horses ruined Easter!" I shouted back.

Er took a step back in fear and said, "I'll admit that he took the fairies, but he did it for me, so if you want to blame anyone for that, then blame me, not him. And what are nightmare horses?"

"The black sand, the horses made out of that!"

"I've seen the sand my father has made, and I think he made a little horse once, but he makes nightmares to bring courage to the children!" she retorted angrily.

"Then how do you explain all this?" I questioned her, gesturing at the tunnels that led to hoards of smashed eggs, and the children wandering around who no longer believed in Bunny.

She sat down, a look of concentration on her face, before saying slowly, "There has been a presence following me lately. I don't think he realizes I can sense his aura, and I can't tell you what exactly he is since it's masked, but I don't think he wants me to know he's there. He hides in deeper shadows than Pitch, and I've only felt his aura down in the cave we live in so far."

We looked at her in surprise, not expecting a girl who looked as young as she did to be so acutely aware of her surroundings.

"I suppose she can be trusted," I heard Bunny say in his heavily accented voice, "for now."

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Pitch's POV:

I paced around my lair, wishing there was someone in the world that needed courage right now. Despite what the Guardians, and most other people think, I'm not really that bad of a person, and I only bring fear to help the children be courageous.

I sighed for the millionth time that day, and wished there was something to distract me from the silence of my home. It just wasn't quite the same without the sounds of another person walking around. I decided to sit down and think more about the past while I waited. It would make the time pass much quicker.

* _I was devastated when I found Erania that fateful day, almost an entire year since I had met her. She was sixteen now, and was on her way to a successful life. There were many art universities that had told her they had never seen artistry like hers before. I smiled as I thought of how she had told me she couldn't possibly choose which one she thought would help her improve the most. She often asked my opinion on these matters when she was unsure of something, and I advised her on my opinions based upon observations I made once she had started receiving the letters._

_I smiled as I approached her street, but the moment I turned the corner, I could sense something was wrong. I ran over to where she was laying on the ground, eyes staring blankly skyward. I immediately looked to the Man in the Moon, silently pleading with him to help me._

_When I received no response, I decided I would try to do it on my own. I put my hands above her, and closed my eyes, feeling for her soul with magic, slowly pulling it from the place it slumbered deep within her body. Most people's souls looked different from their bodies, and Erania's was no exception._

_I watched as her fairly transparent soul flickered between the appearance of a young child with black hair, and a teen with brown hair. I looked sadly down at her, as only the 'Creator' Spirits, such as Manny or Natura, knew the secret of breathing life into a soul to allow its existence into the immortal world. Then, ever so slowly, the translucent soul began to appear more solidly, and I realized that Manny was answering my cry for help._

_I quickly picked up the young immortal and took her to my caves, deep under the ground. Once I got there, Manny told me her spirit name, Erania Cerulo Imaji. She had finally settled on the form of the small child, and I quietly thanked Manny just before she awoke._

_She bolted up, obviously scared, and looked around._

_"Where am I?" she asked, "Who am I? Who are you?"_

_I looked at her sadly, and replied, "You are Era Imaji, the Spirit of Creation, and I am Pitch Black, the King of Nightmares."_

_"Oh. Okay then, I'll call you Papa, because you seem like you would make a nice dad." She said as she grinned from ear to ear._

_While I mourned her loss of memories, I had to admit that it would make it easier to keep her here with me if she didn't know about how beautiful the world above was. I regret that decision to this day, but I had companionship for sixteen years before Manny needed her. That was all I could possibly hope for. *_

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Er's POV:

I came home after a long day of having snow thrown in my face, still giggling. My ecstatic feeling faded as I saw Pitch sitting in a chair, staring off into space, tears streaming down his face.

"What's wrong, father?" I asked, my mind and body still set in my teenage form.

Pitch quickly looked up and wiped the tears away. "It's nothing, dear Er. I'm just thinking about things long in the past. There's nothing you need to worry your pretty little head over."

I doubted that was anywhere near true, but he quickly changed the subject, asking about my day, and I couldn't resist babbling about the fun we'd had in the small town of Burgess, even though none of the children could see us.

By the time I finished the story, he had visibly relaxed and looked tired. I led him to his room, where he laid down, and I sang him a lullaby from a time before my memories could reach. It was a difficult process, pulling the lullaby from the depths of the darkness in my mind, but knowing that I could do this much for the man who had watched over me for sixteen years made me happy.

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NP POV:

The man in the shadows frowned as the girl sang a lullaby to the Master of Fear. It would be bad news for him if she began to remember her past, as she might recognize him.

When she left, the man disappeared as well, knowing that he would have to execute the next phase of his plan quickly if he wished to be able to destroy her the way he had always wanted to.

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**Writer's block sucks, but I'm pushing on! In the next part of the story, Er will begin to wield weapons, and since I couldn't find any that had one weapon in each hand (don't know the technical term), I looked at all the characters from SoulCalibur, and found a few that interested me, she will also use some weapons wielded by my favorite SoulCalibur characters (such as Talim and Tira) as well as a "death scythe" which is just a really awesome weapon. I don't own SoulCalibur, nor do I own Rise of the Guardians. Thank you.**

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**Sorry for that lengthy bit. Thanks for reading! Please review, I will answer questions, reply to comments, and give out virtual treats.**


	6. Chapter 6: Training and Cookie Stealing

**A/N: Hello again! I hope you enjoy this chapter, because I probably won't be posting anything for about two weeks. I'm going on a week-long trip to New York after school finishes this week, so this week is going to be a bit hectic with packing and finishing school work, with very little time to write.**

**Also, **-TS-** is a skip in time, without a change in the POV.**

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Er's POV:

I decided to go out again after my father fell asleep, knowing that the presence I had felt hanging in the shadows lately would leave as soon as I did. Whoever it was seemed to have an interest in me, but wouldn't dare try to mess with Pitch.

I found it more fun to fly than to teleport, as it gave me time to think, and I could feel the wind blow through my hair, which cleared my mind of unimportant thoughts. As I flew to North's workshop, where I knew I could get the information I needed, I thought of who the person in the shadows could be, and what he might want from me. Was he someone from my unknown past? Did he wish for some kind of revenge for something? I may not ever know.

I flew through a window, landing on the giant globe, and called, "North!" before dashing to his office and knocking on the door before entering.

"North, I need you to teach me how to fight." I said as I walked in, noting that he was pacing around in circles.

"Yes," he said distractedly, "I think that would be best."

"Great! When can we start?" I asked happily.

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North's POV:

Sandy had just been killed, and suddenly Era was there, asking me to train her in the best fighting technique I knew. It was for the best if she learned, for by now we knew that she would be on our side in a fight.

"Come, you must choose your weapon." I said as I walked to the training room.

I showed her where the weapons were kept, and she quickly withdrew a set of steel fans, both with a design consisting of the phases of the moon in a slightly bluish color set on a black background.

"I'll try these out first," she declared before taking a defensive position in the center of the training ring.

"I will try to go easy, since it's your first time trying out this weapon." I retorted as I stepped into the fighting ring.

We began our battle and I advised her on how to improve her techniques, and at the end of an hour, she had me pinned to the ground.

"I guess I'm a fast learner," she said as she snapped the fans shut and helped me up.

"Indeed you are," I replied with a smile.

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Er's POV:

"Next one!" I exclaimed as I dashed to put the fans away. Looking through the weapons again, I quickly withdrew a unique looking weapon.

"Ah, the katar. Very nice choice." North commentated.

I scrutinized them, noticing the dancing dragon designs on the golden handles before resuming my place in the center of the ring.

-TS-

After we had been training with different weapons for the better part of the day, we were dripping with sweat. I had to pin North to the floor with this one last weapon before we were finished. He charged, and I dropped to the ground, tripping him. I stood up quickly, and leaned over him, the ring blade ready to twirl.

"Do you surrender, North?"

"I suppose, if I must." He replied gruffly. I let him up.

"Let's go eat some cookies!" I exclaimed before placing the hula hoop-like blade back in its place and dashing off towards the kitchen. Where I knew the yetis would have milk and cookies prepared for us.

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Jack's POV:

I watched Era and North fight for hours, Era picking out a new weapon any time she managed to pin North. She sometimes chose single-handed weapons, but soon discovered that she preferred dual weapons.

She pinned North one last time before running off to the kitchen, where I promptly followed her with North close behind us.

"Cookie free-for-all!" I exclaimed enthusiastically as I rushed to beat Er to the kitchen. She realized what I was planning, and disappeared.

I reached the kitchen and called, "Come on! You always cheat!" I heard a munching sound and a giggle before a full cookie was promptly shoved in my mouth.

"You can have that one," Er said before looking at my astonished face. She proceeded to laugh so hard that her face turned red and she fell on the ground. I pulled the cookie out of my mouth and sat next to her before eating it and grabbing another.

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Er's POV:

I noticed Jack steal one of the many cookies I had as I calmed down, but I didn't mind. We sat there talking while North came in and got himself some cookies before going back to his office to work.

"Where's Sandy?" I asked suddenly as I looked around.

Jack shifted his gaze away before saying, "He… disappeared last night. It was weird, he was there, then something dark hit him, he turned an oily color, and… disappeared…"

"That was why North was acting odd. I never thought he would teach me to fight so soon. I mean you guys only just met me, and I'm sure that the fact that the Guardians have bitterness toward my dad doesn't really help any."

"It really doesn't change that much for me, although the others tell me that it should. I asked them the other day what Pitch did to make them hate him as they do. They avoided my question, so either they don't remember, or they just simply don't like him because he's, well,"

"Pitch Black?" I finished with a giggle.

"Exactly," Jack replied with a chuckle.

I looked out the window to check the time, and I realized that it was dark, and the moon was out.

"Oh my goodness, is it really this late? I need to go back home!" I cried.

"You can stay here if you need to," Jack replied.

I looked at him sadly. "That's a nice gesture, really, but I can't possibly leave my father alone for so long. I came home to find him crying over past memories before putting him to bed and coming back here to learn fighting techniques. I want to be there for him as much as I possibly can."

He nodded, and I could sense that he was about to offer to take me home.

"I'll be fine by myself, Jack. I just learned how to use about ten different weapons, and besides, how bad can a trip home be when you're invisible to the world?"

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Please Review!


	7. Chapter 7: Recovered Memories

**Guess what? I'm back! (Kind of a duh moment, but whatever) This is kind of a short chapter, but I was listening to a song and kind of came up with a sequel that comes out really well with the end of this story (which was also inspired by a song), so I kind of wanted to write that down a bit so I wouldn't forget later, not to mention I'm also beginning to work on my Alice in Wonderland story. Life is hectic...**

**On to the story!**

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NP POV:

Era flew as fast as she could toward her home, hoping that Pitch was still okay. She knew she was being a bit paranoid, but she wanted to be careful not to make her father sad.

She suddenly saw a strange light through the treetops as she passed by a forest, and decided to take a quick look, and then be on her way. What she found was Mother Nature, her flowing light-brown hair blowing in a slight breeze, her pale blue eyes taking in the beauty around her. She looked like she had been waiting for someone, and it was the soft light that usually emanated from the Creator Spirit that had attracted Era.

"Oh, hello again," Era said.

"Welcome, Era. I have been waiting for you." Natura's wind whispered as she turned around, "Please, come closer. I must show you something. It will aid you in your fight against your foe."

Era looked at her curiously, and slowly walked forward until she was just within reach of Natura's hand, if she chose to extend it.

Mother Nature raised her hand, and touched her fingers to Era's forehead, and Era's face turned blank as she fell to the ground.

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Era's POV:

Natura had touched my forehead, and I felt as if I was falling, as my vision went black, and it seemed as if I was being tugged into a dark void.

_*Suddenly, I was standing in a yard that seemed very familiar. I looked around and saw a girl with blonde hair and green eyes drawing pictures on the sidewalk. I turned around and saw a boy who was about the same age walking down the opposite sidewalk, tossing a stone up in the air, before it dropped back down into his hand. He walked past the girl, and suddenly, chucked it in her direction. I watched as the stone hit her in the head as the boy continued on, not realizing how badly the girl was hurt. I quickly ran to her, and found that we had the same face. That was when I realized that what I was seeing was my long lost memories. I could do nothing to change what was happening. I decided to sit and watch what happened, rather than running around and missing something important. Soon Pitch came along, he was smiling at first, but when he didn't see my past-self drawing on the sidewalk, he quickly ran over to see what was wrong. I watched him beg for the moon's help, receive no reply, and try to bring my soul to life. Soon after, my spirit began to look more real, and Pitch looked up at the moon happily. "Her name is Erania Cerulo Imaji" I heard a voice say, and assumed it was the moon speaking. "Thank you, thank you Manny," Pitch answered, "you have done me a great service, and I am forever indebted to you."*_

I woke with a start, and looked up into Natura's pale green eyes.

"Welcome back, child. I trust your journey gave you some answers?" the trees rustled out in their beautiful language.

"I know who I was, why I'm the Spirit of Creation, why Pitch was so attached to me, and how I got here." I replied.

"The boy, you saw him yes?" the wind whispered back.

"Yes, but I'm not quite sure why he's important." I puzzled.

"He is the one who hides himself in the shadows, the one who is your enemy. He died in a crash a few years ago. The fact that he ended up killing you followed and haunted him the rest of his life, making him resent you all that much more. I don't know how he became a spirit without help, perhaps his hatred took its own form, and that is how he made it here. But that is not important, what is important is that he is here, and he wants to destroy you."

"If that is what must be done to protect my father and the Guardians, then I will do it. I only have two questions. How do I find him, and how do I defeat him?" I asked eager to get rid of the person who would dare to cross me and my newfound family.

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**Hope you enjoyed! Please review, it makes me happy! (It also gives you virtual treats...) =D**

**Also, if you want to know more of Era's memories, just say so, and I'll find a way to put them somewhere in the story.**


	8. Chapter 8: Snowballs and Fun Times

**Hey everyone! I know I'm not posting as much, but sis is hogging her computer. (Twixy - well SORRY that I've been gone so much and decided to take my computer with me!) Sorry for her attitude. Sleep and her aren't getting along very well at the moment. Anywho...**

**Thank you Moonlight for that compliment, and also, *runs around corner, and comes back rolling a giant cookie.* this is for you *stops rolling and wipes sweat drops* you give me such great ideas! Did you notice what I said about a sequel in the last chapter? She kinda forgets everything, so do you want me to place the minific before or after that sequel?**

**Onto the story!** ( -TS-** is a time skip without view change)**

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After a long discussion on how this incarnation of evil was to be destroyed, I rushed back home. I found Pitch in his favorite armchair, reading a book.

"Hello, father." I said as I approached.

He looked up and smiled at me, "Welcome home, Era. How was your day?"

I avoided his gaze for a moment, not wanting to tell him what I had been doing, but knowing that I would have to tell him eventually.

I sighed and looked him in the eye before saying, "I learned how to fight, and I regained my memories from my mortal life. You didn't need to shoulder the pain all on your own for all these years; you could have shared your concerns with me. But I do understand why you didn't, and you have to remember - no matter what happens, or happened, I still love you like a father."

I watched as the book fell from his hand, and he stood up, and gave me a hug.

"I'm so sorry, Era. I was afraid, I didn't want to be alone again." He sobbed.

"It's okay papa," I replied, tears streaming down my face, "I understand."

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Pitch's POV:

I could barely contain my tears. She wasn't mad at me; instead, she had forgiven me before I had even had the chance to explain.

"Thank you, thank you, my dear sweet child." I said happily.

I felt her smile into my shoulder before she released me from her embrace with a serious look and saying, "Father, you aren't going to like this, but there's been someone following me in the shadows lately, and I believe that he will become a threat to you and the friends I've made recently."

I looked at her and scowled, "I'll take care of whoever it is. No one threatens me or my little girl."

Tears began to fill her eyes again as she said, "No, daddy, I think I have to be the one to kill him."

Astonished, I stepped back before saying, "You? But why?"

She shook her head, "I don't know, but I think it's my fault he's here in the Spirit World in the first place. If anyone is going to make him leave, it has to be me."

"But, it could be dangerous! What if you got hurt?" I questioned.

She smiled sadly, answering with a simple, "That's the way life works, even when you're immortal." Before disappearing.

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Era's POV:

I wiped the tears away after I teleported to the North Pole for more weapons practice.

"Back so soon?" I heard a voice behind me say.

"Yeah, I think I need more practice." I replied smiling at Jack as he walked to stand next to me.

"So I'll assume Pitch is okay then?" he questioned.

"Would I be here if he wasn't?" I drilled him with another question as a smirk lit up my face.

"Wanna test out your new skills on me before learning more from North?" Jack challenged.

"You're on!" I shouted before running toward the training room again.

-TS-

"Do you give up yet?" I shouted at Jack, as he was floating near the ceiling, and I was still on the ground.

"You know, you are _great_ with those fancy fans of yours, but I think you'd get better if you learned how to use them while you're flying as well." He replied.

I sighed before floating up to his level, and we began to fight while flying.

-TS-

North found us a little while later, or rather, we kind of ran into him.

"Sorry North," I said, standing back up.

"It's fine, but if you are going to practice flying all over the place while fighting, I would appreciate it if you would take it outside, so you don't destroy my workshop." He replied.

"Okay!" I exclaimed before racing Jack to the windows.

-TS-

"We've been through, like, five weapons already, and this is way more exhausting than training on the ground with North!" I complained as Jack told me to go back inside to grab a new weapon.

"Just do it." He called, "Oh, I know! Get those fancy knife-things, what are they called… cutters?"

"Katars," I replied.

"Fine, just go get them!"

I laughed as I walked to put the black and red wave swords away.

"Oh, Jack, you are a real hoot."

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Jack's POV:

Era had beaten me at least three out of six times now, and though it hurt my pride, it was also a good thing, as she learned better maneuvers and ways of attacking. I watched as she came back with the katars, and prepared myself for yet another round of flying.

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Era's POV:

I giggled with glee as I avoided another volley of ice from Jack, and in return I slashed at him with the dragon-decorated weapon.

"You'll have to do better than that, pretty-boy!" I called.

"Oh, you think you're so tough then, grasshopper?" He called back with equal mirth.

I quickly pinned him down and replied, "Indeed I do, oh teacher," with a smile.

"Well," Jack said as I helped him up, "I think that's a wrap. Let's go eat some cookies."

"Can I really live on a diet of cookies alone?" I asked.

"North does, and he's completely fine." He replied.

"Maybe a little pudgy there around the middle, but whatever you say, Sherlock." I giggled.

We laughed and talked the rest of the way to the kitchen, while inside, I knew that these were to be treasured moments, for I had very little time to remain here in this world.

As Natura had told me, there would be a high possibility of me dying in my fight against my enemy. With the way things are going with my friends, I may have to use a sleeping spell to ensure that they won't interfere until Desmond is dead.

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**Please review! I feel like I'm unloved, and Moonlight can't get all the giant virtual treats I'm gonna give out. *pouts* that would just make things unfair!**


	9. Chapter 9: In Depth Discussion

**Hello, everyone! How's it going? Yes, Moonlight. I got your message from Twixy. :) And thank you very much for your reviews, I think I enjoy them as much as you enjoy my story. I'm going to be gone for the next week or so at an annual family reunion. Here is my new chapter.**

**Muahahahahahahaha! It is time for you people of the world to read! Enjoy :P**

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Jack's POV:

Sparring with Era was fun, but I began to notice that she was acting more somber and serious than usual. However, I was afraid that if I asked what was wrong, she would avoid the question and leave again, so I simply decided to suggest we go eat some cookies.

I kept up my conversation with her, pretending I didn't notice her face darken, acting like I didn't hear the sorrow and pain she was trying to hide in her voice as she talked to me. I kept thinking to myself, "_If she wanted you to know what's wrong she would tell you."_

Eventually, once we settled down in the main room with armloads of cookies, I couldn't take it anymore, and I said, "Era, you can't hide it from me, I know something's wrong. I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but I can't bear to see the sad look on your face, or the pain in your voice."

She looked at me with those sad eyes, before looking away and replying, "It's nothing, Jack. Just thinking about the man who's been following me, and worrying needlessly about Pitch."

I shook my head. "It's definitely more than that."

She sighed and a look of anger crossed her face as she said, "I don't want to talk about it. That much is true, and although I can't keep it from you and father forever, I only wish that I could."

"Why do you want to keep it from us? Don't you even trust your own father figure?" I asked, looking at her confused.

"I do!" she exclaimed, exasperated, "That's the problem though. I know you two would try to save me, and I can't let that happen. I won't let that man live. I'm doing what I am to try to protect you guys, my family and my friends."

"Who can't be allowed to live, and why would we try to save you?" I drilled her while biting into a cookie, "I'm fairly certain you can handle yourself in a battle, and we'd only try to interfere if you truly needed it."  
"The thing is, you most likely will think I need the interference, and I can't let you die trying to save me from my almost certain death." She grumped as she also bit into a cookie.

I almost spit out the cookie I had just shoved into my mouth, but instead swallowed it and said, "What makes you so sure that you're going to die?!"

"Natura and I talked on my way back to my father," she answered matter-of-factly, "what I found out was that the person who's been following me is the bully who ended up killing me - Desmond Paren - and possibly the only way for me to kill him, and have him stay that way, is for him to kill me."

I gaped at her, not even caring about my cookies anymore, and not noticing the elves eating them.

She looked at my face, and her own scrunched up. She stood and said, "I shouldn't have told you that. You'll be overprotective of me now. I have to go," before disappearing, cookies and all, from the Globe room.

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**I thought that sounded like a good place to end this chapter, but there's not more than one POV. Jeez, this stuff is getting longer. Oh well! Please forget to review!**


	10. Chapter 10: Conversations of Demise

**I am back! Sorry for the long wait, but life got a bit hectic and threw me a curveball. Hope you guys enjoy!**

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Era's POV:

I had stressed out, and when I teleported I found myself not really knowing where I was. Rather than panicking myself more, I decided to sit and eat my cookies while thinking about what Natura had said to me.

_* "His name is Desmond Paren, but in this world he goes by Desper. He is the one who brings pain and despair to people who have done nothing to deserve it. This has upset the balance of the world, and that is why I am intervening." The wind spoke in harsh tones of anger._

_"I will do what I can to stop him, but I believe that there's something you haven't said yet." I said with an accusing note._

_She sighed and continued, "Only you can kill him. If someone else tries, Desper will just come back again. I must tell you though, that in your quest to protect those close to you, Desper may not be the only one that will be taken out of existence."_

_I considered that for a moment before looking her straight in the eye and replying, "I will do anything I can to protect my friends."_

_"Good. He watches you, so all you need to do is to call out to him to draw him to you, and all you need to kill him is something infused with your magic." Natura told me matter-of-factly._

_"Then I should go practice more with my weapons, shouldn't I?" I asked._

_"Indeed." She replied as she faded away.*_

And so I had ended up there, at the North Pole, and ended up telling Jack all about everything that I had tried to keep from him and Pitch. How was I supposed to fight Desper alone now?

I finished my last cookie, and decided that all of this would be ended in a few days. First, I would say goodbye to Jack, my brother, and Pitch, my father. Then I would take all the weapons I could, and I would challenge Desper. It was up to Fate to decide whether I lived or died.

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**The end is near! What will happen next? Will Pitch and Jack try to protect Era? Will she live, or will she die? All will be revealed in the next chapter!**


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